Transcript Document

Objective: To examine the Red Scare of the 1950’s and beyond.
Cummings of the Daily Express, 24 August 1953,
"Back to Where it all Started"
V. The Cold War at Home
During the late
1940’s and early
1950’s, fear of
communism led
to reckless
charges against
innocent citizens.
The House UnAmerican Activities
Committee (HUAC)
investigated alleged
communist activities
in Hollywood.
Hollywood Ten-Video
Example of American
fears of Communism:
- Americans, Julius and Ethel
Rosenberg, were accused of
stealing nuclear secrets for the
Soviets.
-The Rosenbergs were
executed for their crimes in
1953.
-YouTube - Spies in
America: The Ethel
Rosenberg Story
McCarthy Launches His
“Witch Hunt”
In the early 1950’s,
Senator Joseph McCarthy
of Wisconsin began
accusing members of the
state department of being
communists. Since that
time, “McCarthyism” has
referred to the unfair tactic
of accusing people of disloyalty without providing
evidence.
YouTube - McCruciblism
McCarthy’s reckless
claims:
· In 1950, Senator Joseph
McCarthy announced that he
had a list of 205 State
Department employees that
were members of the
Communist party.
Bomb Shelters
The threat of nuclear
attack led Americans
to build bomb
shelters and practice
air-raid drills. Fear of
nuclear war became
a constant in American
life for the next 30 years.
YouTube - Do It Yourself Fallout
Shelter
Video: “Duck and Cover” (1951 - 9:15)